Forbidden
by Claude Amelia Song
Summary: Law be damned. He loved her too much to give her up now.


Assignment 14: Magical Law & Government - MACUSA

Task:Write about a strict rule being broken

Extra prompts: (Word) Forbid (or a variation)-forbidden  
(Setting) School- Hogwarts, the Potions Classroom

Words: 1131

The relationship between student and teacher is sacred. There are boundaries that should never be crossed. And trust that should never be broken.

When you become a professor, you make a vow to yourself, a promise that you will do everything in your power to help your students, to guide them, to be a person worth following;an example.

And even if you are forced into this position as Severus had been, you know what you're getting into. You know that the promise you made that day is one you should keep all your life.

The relationship between students and teachers should never cross a certain line, and sadly, sometimes it's too easy to cross over from the feelings of respect, admiration and friendship to love.

It had started innocently as most student/teacher relationships start. Slowly they had become friends and from then on...their relationship had evolved without either of them realising it. And when they did, it was too late.

Hermione had come to him at the end of the year, right out of the infirmary, to thank him. Severus had been shocked to say the least.

"Thank me for what, Girl?" he asked her in his unusual snarky tone, more out of habit than intent, since he had never really had anything against her, even if she had behaved like a know-it-all in her early years at Hogwarts.

"For saving me, Sir."

Severus narrowed his eyes at her. "Saving you? What are you talking about Ms. Granger?" he said even if he knew exactly what she was talking about; but she couldn't remember, could she? She couldn't have possibly seen him, could she?

The girl gulped. "At the Ministry, Professor, at the Department of Mysteries. I know it was you who saved me. And I am really grateful," she said, her eyes shining with gratitude.

Severus didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to being thanked by any other person, other than Albus, and even the Headmaster did it only occasionally. And this girl whom he had been so horrible to, was looking at him like he was worthy of being thanked, like he deserved it.

"You do deserve it, Professor," Hermione said.

Severus frowned. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Hermione smiled. "I'm good at reading people, Sir. But I wasn't reading your mind."

To his terror, he found her smile dazzling. And to her shock, he smiled back.

"You're welcome, Ms. Granger. But please don't make a habit out of it."

Hermione was in shock. Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin house had smiled! To a Gryffindor no less! At first, she didn't know what to say, but thinking that she was in fact a Gryffindor and shouldn't be afraid, considering he hadn't done anything to her before now...she decided to ask him something that had plagued her mind ever since that night at the Ministry: "Are you alright, Professor?"

"What did you just say?" he asked, not quite believing his ears.

"I asked you if you were alright. You were that night at Ministry; you saved me. But didn't it have repercussions? Were you punished for it? What did the Dark Lord have to say? I know what you are doing for us; I figured it out last year when the Headmaster said that you know what he asks of you and you answered affirmative."

She said that in one go, blushing at the end. Hermione had always had a crush on her potions professor and it had only intensified with time, especially this last year.

After that, they hadn't talked with each other for a few weeks, when Hermione had run into him one morning while she was doing her jogging.

She had noticed where he lived and two days later, she showed up at his doorstep with a home baked cake as a thank you gift. Then the next day she was there with muffins. And the day after that with fresh lemonade.

And so on, day after day, until he welcomed her into his house without any excuse, just his wish to see her.

They talked a lot during these days and there was something about her that made him feel safe, perhaps the growing feelings they both had for each other or her complete trust and faith in him… but he opened up to her. Which was very unusual on his part. He didn't even talk to Albus. And anyway, it wasn't like he had much more to talk about with the Headmaster any longer. After what the man had asked of him! What more could they talk about? Funeral songs?

Hermione had slowly taken Lily's place in his heart. Of course, part of him would always love her; she had been his first real friend, but now that he had met Hermione, he could see the difference. He hadn't been in love with Lily. No, it had been infatuation, a child's first love. It could have also been seen as an obsession. It wasn't right by any means, and Severus was scared. How could he have he fallen so quickly, so fast for Hermione Granger, forgetting everything else in the process? It should be impossible to fall in love with people you're forbidden to fall in love with in the first place. Hermione was forbidden; she was his student!

But he found that he didn't care. Not any longer. Not when he watched her smile at him as if he was the most precious person to her, not when he saw her get angry on his behalf after finding out just what Albus had asked of him or when she waited up for hours until he came home from meetings. She cared for him; she loved him, she said that much, and he loved her, so why, why did it have to be forbidden?

She was mature enough to make her choices. And to his wonder, he was her choice.

"You're always going to be my choice," she had said, kissing him softly.

"And you're mine," Severus had whispered, wrapping his arms around her. He'd been alone and lonely and miserable all of his life, and he needed only one bit of happiness and that happiness was Hermione Granger.

She was adamant that their relationship wasn't wrong even if they broke the law to be together. Soon,, she would be of age, but that didn't matter. He would still be in a position of power over her. Although, if one looked closer, one would see that she was the one with the power in the relationship.

Hermione had complete control over him. Severus didn't know what he would do if he lost her.

Law be damned. He loved her too much to give her up now.


End file.
